As always, please go to the links for the full articles/ op eds.
If you're looking for an explainer on the criminal charges filed against Alan Weisselberg and the Trump Organization, you won't do better than Daniel Shaviro's. This is just a snippet, excerpts from his general overview; much more at the link:
1. This is no mere fringe benefits case. It is a straight-out fraud case, claiming that the defendants kept double books: phony ones to show the tax authorities, and accurate ones to be hidden from view. The question of whether a given company apartment or car might in theory (with appropriate supporting facts) have been an excludable fringe benefit turns out to be almost completely irrelevant. [snip]
2. It is not just a state and local income tax fraud case. It is also – via New York State fraud, conspiracy, and grand larceny statutes – a federal income tax fraud case. The indictment’s first three and longest counts detail a “scheme to defraud” the federal Internal Revenue Service, including through a “conspiracy” with multiple “overt acts,” and the commission of “grand larceny.” [snip]
3. If the Manhattan DA can prove the facts asserted, this is not a trivial case, or one that ordinarily would not be brought, or one that bespeaks political bias, or is just about pressuring a witness whom the DA wants to “turn.” It is unimaginable to me that any prosecutor would not bring these or similar charges under the asserted facts. If the case is proven, the DA will not have been criminalizing political disagreement, as critics complain. Rather, it will have been criminalizing crime – and not a moment too soon from a broader enforcement standpoint, given widespread concerns about plunging enforcement, not just against income tax fraud, but against white-collar crime more generally.
Speaking of criminals and Trump, jabronis calling themselves the "Patriot Front" showed up in Philadelphia Saturday to proclaim their sorry existence:
Around 150 white supremacists marched in front of Philadelphia City Hall late on Saturday night. The marchers were part of the Patriot Front, a known white supremacist group based in Texas, and they wore white face coverings while waving flags and shields. Some also carried signs that read “Reclaim America” and chanted “the election was stolen” while they marched. Police said none of the marchers were from Philadelphia.
It seems the white supremacists had their march cut short by angry onlookers who made their feelings clear about having white supremacists openly espousing their views on the streets of Philadelphia. The onlookers started yelling at the protesters and there were a few scuffles with the white supremacists. A witness said the marchers often tossed smoke bombs and then used that as a cover to hit and kick counterprotesters. Although police were present, they apparently didn’t get really involved as counterportesters and white supremacists traded blows.
Police said the onlookers eventually chased the white supremacists away. “They started engaging with citizens of Philadelphia, who were none too happy about what they were saying. These males felt threatened, and at one point somebody threw a smoke bomb to cover their retreat, and they literally ran away from the people of Philadelphia,” police officer Michael Crum told local ABC affiliate WPVI. Police later pulled over the trucks the white supremacists were traveling in for safety reasons.
Perhaps they should call themselves "Patriot Rear," since that's what they showed the onlookers who chased them. Run, "patriots," run! Continue to feel threatened!
The latest ransomware attack is the biggest on record. The retaliation must also be the biggest on record:
Cybersecurity teams worked feverishly Sunday to stem the impact of the single biggest global ransomware attack on record, with some details emerging about how the Russia-linked gang responsible breached the company whose software was the conduit.
An affiliate of the notorious REvil gang, best known for extorting $11 million from the meat-processor JBS after a Memorial Day attack, infected thousands of victims in at least 17 countries on Friday, largely through firms that remotely manage IT infrastructure for multiple customers, cybersecurity researchers said.
REvil was demanding ransoms of up to $5 million, the researchers said. But late Sunday it offered in a posting on its dark web site a universal decryptor software key that would unscramble all affected machines in exchange for $70 million in cryptocurrency.
The remaining tower of the Champlain South condominium in Surfside, FL, was demolished last night in an effort to expand search efforts for the missing residents:
Demolition crews set off explosives late Sunday to bring down the damaged remaining portion of a collapsed South Florida condo building, a key step to resuming the search for victims as rescuers possibly gain access to new areas of the rubble. [snip]
The precarious, still-standing portion of a collapsed South Florida condo building was rigged with explosive charges and set for demolition overnight, Miami-Dade County officials said late Sunday. The work has suspended the search-and-rescue mission, but officials said it will open up new areas for rescue teams to explore.
Here's the video from local news:
#BREAKING:Remainder of Champlain Tower South building has been demolished. pic.twitter.com/jvom1ctBkA
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) July 5, 2021
The remains of 24 people have been recovered, with 121 still missing after the June 24 collapse of part of the complex.
As usual, Infidel 753 has assembled a round- up of links to interesting posts from around the Internet. While you're there (hopefully), check out his essays on a variety of topics touching on religion, science, technology and cultural issues.
